Centrifugal drier



June 4, 1929. 1 c. IBRUCKMANN CENTRIFUGAL DRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Ema/577w; W/l

lllllllllllllllllll June 4, 1929. P. C.--BRUCKMANN GENTRIFUGAL DRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 8, 1924 Patented June 4, 1929.

PETER G. BRUGKMANN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

PATH OFFICE.

TO VOBCLONE COMPANY, A CORPORATION 01E WISCONSIN.

QENTRIFUGAL DRIER.

Application filed October 8, 1924. Serial No. 742,304.

This invention pertains to laundry driers, and more particularly to the driving mechanism for the same. Laundry driers of the type in question are provided with a dryin drum usually in the form of a perforate hollow cylinder into which the clothes to be dried may be put. This cylinder is then rotated at a high speed so that the moisture in the clothing may be thrown out by centrifugal force so as to emerge through the perforations in the drum and be thrown off to be caught by a surrounding container and turned ofi into a suitable waste. Such a drum, as it rotates at a veryhigh speed and is loaded with a considerable weight of clothes, must be started slowly and brought up to speed gradually. A slip clutch in the drivmg mechanismis ordinarily provided to perunit a gradual increase in speed. Laundry driers of this type are ordinarily driven from a line shafting by means of a belt shiftable to tight and loose pulleys. In the ordinary construction, the pulley which receives the belt from the line shaft is fixed in position with reference to the drier. Consequently, in placing the drier on the laundry floor, the same must be placed in a particular position with reference to the line shafting. Since in differentinstallations, it is convenient to have a drier placed indifferent positions with respect to the line -shaft, it has been the practice'to provide driers with pulleys placed in either of two positions at right angles to each other. This permits placing a drier in two positions with respect to the line shafting. It requires, however, that the position must be determined before ordering the drier so that a machine with the proper type of pulley may'be received. It does not permit changing the position of a drier once established.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide driving mechanism for-such a drier which will permit locating the drier in any position relatively to the line shaft.

Another object is to provide an improved form of clutch which will permit the drier to be brought up to speed gradually when driven from a constant speed line shaft.

Further objects will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a view in'elevation'of a laundry drier equipped withidriving mechanism embodying t 1s invention.

Fi ure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the riving connections.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the clutch. Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing1 another embodiment of this invention; an

' Figure 5' is a section on line 55, Figure l; and

Figure 6 is a sectional view showing another style of slip clutch.

. Referring now to the drawing, 1 designates the base or frame of the drier which carries a vertical shaft 5 carrying the dryin drum 2 perforated, as shown at 3. This rum rotates within the housing 4 which catches the water thrown ofi therefrom passing the same to a suitable drain, not shown. The lower end of the shaft 5 is provided with a pulley ;6 adapted to be driven by a belt 7. These parts may be of any suitable well known construetion and will therefore require no further description.

Mounted on a bracket 8 which may be secured to the base lby means of bolts 9 or other suitable fastenings is a frame 10. The frame 10 is mounted to slide on the bracket 8 being guided thereon by suitable rails or guides, not shown. The position of the frame 10 on the bracket may be adjusted by means of a screw 11 passing through a lug 12 on-the bracket 8 and screwed into the frame '10. This screw'passes freely through the lug 12 and is provided witha nut 13 for adjusting the position of the frame 10.

Mounted in the frame 10 is a vertical shaft 14. This shaft has a hearing at its lower end in a boss 15 and at its upper end in a bearing 16 on the plate 17 mounted in the upper plate 18 -of the frame 10. The plate 18 is bored to fit the outside of the bearing 16 so that the latter may be centered therein. Loosely mounted on the shaft 14 is a hollow pulley adapted to receive the belt 7 for driving the pulley 6. Keyed to the shaft 14: and within the hollow pulley 19'is a flange 20. This flange carries a series of centrifugal elements or governor weights 2]., each provided with a slot 22 adapted to engage a pin 23 on the flange 20 to be guidedthereby. Thecentr fuga'l. elements 21 are bored-edgewisewith aligned matching holes These-holes .match'each other in pairsindifi'erentweights 21 so as to receive "tensionsprings-25, each spring lying within a pair of holes 2t and secured at its ends to pins 26 in different weights. These springs tend to force the weights radially inwardly so as to hold the same out of contact with theinner rim of the pulley 19. The governor weights 21 lie upon the flange 20 and are driven by the pins 23 in rotation when the shaft 14 rotates. As the speed of the shaft 14 is increased, it will be seen that the governor weights 21 will be thrown outwardly by centrifugal force against the tension of the springs 25 so as to contact with the rim of the pulley 19. This contact will increase in pressure as the speed increases and the resulting friction will drive the pulley 19 in rotation. The pulley 19 in turn, through the agency of the belt 7, will drive the pulley 6 and the drum 2. It will thus be seen that this construction provides a centrifu al slip clutch adapted to drive the drum 2 rom the shaft 14. The engagement of this clutch is yielding but engagement increases in power as the speed ofthe clutch increases. This construction, therefore, provides means for bringing the drum up to speed gradually when driven by a constant speed shaft. The plate 17 is threaded, as shown at 27, or otherwise suitably secured to a driving head 28 provided with bearings 29 and 30 adapted to receive a shaft 31 carrying at its end a fast pulley 32 and a loose pulley '33 secured inplace by a collar 34. Within the driving head 28, the shaft 31 is secured in place by a collar 35 and carries a beveled gear 36 adapted for driving engagement with a beveled gear 37 on the shaft 14. It will be seen that when the pulley 32 is driven by a belt from a suitable line shaft, not shown, the same will drive the shaft 14 through the agency of the shaft 31 and the gears 36 and 37. Connections are thus provided for driving the drum 2 from the line shaft.

The plate 17 is provided with a rim'orflange 38 extending to the outside of the driving head 28. The, rim 38 is engaged by a suitable clamping ring 39 adapted to be clamped by means of clamping screws 40 to the top plate 18 of the frame 10. It will be seen that by loosening the screws ,40, the clamping ring 39 wilLhe loosened so as to permit the driving head, which includes both the head proper 28 and the plate 17, to be rotated:

on the frame 10 so as to face the pulleys 32 and 33 in any desired direction with reference to the drier. When the head has been adjusted in proper position, the same may be clamped or fixed by tightening the screws 40. In the embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5, the head 28 is constructed with the plate 17 integral therewith so as to provide-a cup or reservoir adapted to contain lubricating oil in which the gears 36 and 37 mayv run. This cup may be closed at the top by a cover 41.

Inthis embodiment, also, the pulley 19 is loose on the shaft 14, while an inverted cup 42 is fixed to said shaft and rotates therewith. The outer flange 43 of the cup 42 rotates freely with ample clearance within the rim of the pulley 19. vided with an elevated radial flange 44 standing within the flange 43. The governor weights 21 are carried by the flange 44 and have driving connection therewith through the pins 23, as described for the embodiment of Figure 2. In the present case, however,

the springs 45 are compression springswhich:

The pulley 19 is prov be seen that as the shaft 14 rotates,

take of the increase in speed, but start slowly,

carrying the pulley 19 with them. As the pulley 19 increases in speed, however, the centrifugal force of the weights 21 will increase in accordance with such speed. Thus the grip of the clutch will increase in accordance with the speed of the driven member, namely the pulley 19, rather than in accordance with that of the driving member, or the shaft 14,

as in the embodiment of Figure 2. In other words, the eflort exerted to start the drier increases in accordance with the increase in the speed of the drier drum itself.

Figure 6 shows a disc clutch as applied to a drier embodying this invention. In this case the pulley 19 has keyed to the interior rim thereof, by means of one or more suitable.

keys 46, a series of friction discs 47. These discs are interspaced with a series of inner friction discs 48, secured by means of a series of studs 49, to a head or spider 50, which is keyed to'the shaft 14. The studs 49 pass freely through holes in the spider and the discs 48 and are secured to the lowermost of said discs, which is made somewhat heavier for that purpose. The studs 49 are each surrounded by a spring 51 hearing on the spider and whose tension may be adjusted by the" nut 52.

The springs 51 operate to press the discs 48 against the discs 47 so as to provide a slipping friction drive for the pulley 19. This type of clutch may be adjusted to slip while the drier drum is starting and coming up to speed, but when substantially full speed has beenattained it will grip and carry the load. The pulley 19 may be filled with oil or greaseand suitably inclosed if desired.

In cases where direct electric drive is used,

the head 28 may be removed entirely and a vertical motor mounted directly on the top of the frame 10, and coupled to the shaft 14. Said top,being flat, is adapted to receive such a motor. If a motor having a good starting torque is available the embodiment of Figure embodiment of Figure 4 will permit the motor to pull up to full speed at once and start the load on its full speed torque.

It will be seen, therefore, that in accordance with this-invention, driving means are provided for the ordinary laundry drier so arranged that not only is provision made for starting the drum gradually, but the drier may be placed in any position relatively to the line shaft and the pulleys 32 and 33 may be faced in any direction so as to aline them with the line shaft. In accordance with this invention, therefore, the same driving mechanism may be used to drive the drier from a line shaft in any relative position. Furthermore, the position of the drier with respect to the line shaft may be changed at any time without the necessity of making permanent changes in the driving connections.

It is obvious that various changes may be made in details of construction without departing from the spirit ofthis invention; it is, therefore, to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to the specific details shown and described. 3

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a centrifuge having a heavy rotatable element adapted to rotate at a high speed, driving mechanism for said element including a centrifugal clutch having a driving member, a driven member rotating with said element, and a centrifugally actuated disc sector carried by said driven member and adapted for driving engagement with the driving member in accordance with the speed of said element.

2. In a power driven centrifugally Operated drier, a base in combination with driving mechanism for the drier, said mechanism including-a housing frame mounted on the base, a shaft extending into said frame, a pulley mounted on the shaft within the frame and rotatable thereby, a casing-like driving head rotatably mounted on the housing frame concentric with said' shaft, a second shaft normal to the first mentioned shaft and ex-' eluding a-housing frame mounted on'the base,

a shaft extending into the frame, a pulley mounted on the shaft within the frame and rotatable thereby, a driving head casing rotatably mounted on the housing frame concentric with the aforesaid shaft, a second shaft normal to the first mentioned shaft and extending into the driving head casing, gears within the driving head casing operatively connecting the shafts a pulley on the second shaft exteriorly of the driving head, and clamping means securing the driving head casing in any one of a number of positions about the axis of the first mentioned shaft, the clamping means comprising a flange on the driving head casing adjacent the housing frame, a clamping ring engaging the flange, and bolts clamping theu'ing to the flange and the frame, whereby the drier may be arranged for convenient access thereto irrespective of its position relative to a source of power.

4. In a centrifuge having a heavy rotatable element adapted to rotate at a high speed, driving mechanism for said element comprising, a hollow driving member, a driven element connected to drive said rotatable element, and a disc member carried by said driven element and positioned within said hollow member, and adapted for centrifugal driving engagement therewith.

5. In a centrifuge having a heavy rotatable element adapted to rotate at a high speed,'driving mechanism for said element comprising, a driving drum, a pulley adjacent said drum, a centrifugally actuable disc sector on said pulley and adapted to engage said drum, and driving connections from said pulley to said heavy element.

6. In a centrifuge having a heavy rotatable element adapted to rotate at a high speed, driving mechanism for said element com rising, a driving drum, a pulley surroun ing said drum, a disc sector carried by said pulley and positioned within said drum, means for initially and resiliently engaging said disc sector with said drum, driving connections between said disc sector and said pulley adapted to permit centrifugal pressure of said sector on said drum, and driving connections between said pulley and'said heavy element.

7. In a centrifuge having a heavy rotatable element adapted, to rotate at a high speed, driving mechanism for said element comprising, a driving drum, a pulleysurrounding said drum, a plurality of disc sectors carried by said pulley and positioned within said drum, means for initially and resiliently engaging said sectors with said drum, driving connections between said sectors and said pulley adapted to permit centrifugal pressure of said disc sectors on said drum, and driving connections between said pulley and said heavy element.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature this 27th day of Aug, 1924.

PETER C, BRUCKMANN. 

